Attention those participating in the "Am I The Only Kid Here" thread..

[BeckyLa]

Such wisdom and consideration is so rare these days!

Thank you, Terry, for showing us once again why you were chosen to be moderator!

 

[chickchair]

Thank you, Terrie....
I couldn't have stated it better myself.
I'm the mother of a ten year old who delights in reading over my shoulder..I don't want her to be harmed by something so innocent.
My first priority, as Terrie said, is that our boards and chats remain not only family friendly, but child safe. I and the staff defend this very strongly...

Thank you all for understanding, and more importantly, supporting us....

 

[BeckyLa]

Always, CC, always......

 

[fowlweatherfriends]

I agree completely.
I even went the extra mile and edited my personal info. Yes, I am an adult, but, I don't think we can be too careful in this day and age and "electronic" age.

So for those of you that remember my previous posts of where I'm from etc. just
forget what you read before

 

[MayberrySaint]

I may be a little dense but would appreciate some clarification or education...

How is an eight year old child posting on this board at risk because the board is accessed through the internet? If a poster states that they are a child and even where they live (city, state) or post a picture of themselves with their favorite chick, what is the specific threat? I don't understand...not trying to be argumentative, because I love the board and enjoy posting here.

 

[Chelly]

I'm sorry Barg!
I hope your daughter is feeling ok, it wasn't her fault! (and your son!)

I know I too would never let my son post anything without me seeing, either his dad or I would be always next to him!

 

[chickchair]

Barg, I concur and applaud your supervision. The net wouldn't be such a harsh place for kids if what people represent as themselves were always true...
I'm the adimistrator of this board, and as such, the buck stops with me.
I will always err on the side of caution. This website and the forums constitute many parents and their kids.
My mission statement for this is I'd rather be apologizing for any hurt feelings on the side of the kids, and do so happily if it makes this site and boards safe for her. There has been not one negative feeling from the forementioned post.... However, as do not ever know the individuals or their own motives and agendas enough to forego caution.

I have read your daughter's posts, and thre is nothing wrong about them except for the personal info included. As Terrie said, better to be over-protective that to regret a moment of leniency with and unkown poster...

I feel that as we're both parents of internet literate children, that we have to be firm on the safety issue...

Please let her know that she is a welcome member, and that she will come to no harm on our watch, whether she understands the reason or not..

I'm grateful that you've asked such open and honest questions. When communication fails here, much hurt feelings ensue...
CC

 

[BirdBrain]

I think enough has been said. Can this post be closed?

 

[PurpleChicken]

This is a wonderful board and I appreciate the fact that moderators
are taking a proactive, overprotective approach.

I do have slight reservations however and am aligned with Barg on this.

The internet does have it's threats. Everything from identity theft to
predators looking for vulnerable children.

My son loves this site. He sits and watches over my shoulder when I'm on
it. Eventually he will probably post on it. I've put up pictures of him on
this site with chickens. I thought twice about it but do not see any
potential of harm.

If someone wanted to find me or my son it would not be hard. Many of
us have personal websites with more than enough info to find us. Consider
that millions of people post their resumes online, post billions of pictures,
and share personal info in thousands of ways.

The biggest threat to children online is unsupervised use coupled with
chat rooms, AOL, and Myspace type places.

I believe it's OK for Bargs daughter to post and see no potential harm in
it even if she does say she in "under age".

I have a heavy background in computer science and IT. I'm also the son
of a police officer. This may mean something or maybe nothing at all.

Our kids are going to be more immersed in the internet in ways we don't
even know yet. By all means let's keep them safe.

SUPERVISION + EDUCATION + LOTS OF LOVE = SAFE KIDS
(Tougher predator laws and judges without bleeding hearts would help too)

 

[fowlweatherfriends]

I think enough has been said. Can this post be closed?

Why?
I have a child that I let post here, with me watching and approving. BUT, the rules are-no ages stated, no location etc. I know of personal experience where this exact issue was a threat to someones child.

WE may have the best intentions, as well as our children, but OTHERS can be tech savvy, and have harmful intentions.

I think it's fine for children to post, and I also think the mods have every right and are completely justified in editing personal info that may inadvertantly be posted. It is always good to err on the side of caution.
When we get into our vehicles and drive, we usually err on the side of caution, when we enter our pin numbers for payment we err on the side of caution and cover them, and the list goes on. It is a good thing to be cautious when it comes to me and mine.

I imagine no personal "pointing of the finger" was done by this thread. I just naturally assumed it was posted as a "heads up" for many parents considering letting children post.

And I mean no offense to anyone here-so there are no misunderstandings.​